The topic of parity between renewables and fossil fuels has come up fairly regularly in the various sustainability activities in which I've participated. Relatively small, isolated markets like Hawaii passed that threshold some time ago. The focus on cost is understandable but it misses two important issues that are touched on in this article: Why Are Americans Switching to Renewable Energy? Because It’s Actually Cheaper First, it appears that the volatility of fossil fuel prices and supplies will only continue to increase. Exposure to that risk isn't good for anyone's bottom line. Second, it is hard to get your head around the implications of solar and wind behaving as technologies. TVs might be a good example. We paid $1,200 for a mid-range 42" plasma TV in 2007. The most similar model I could find on Fry's is listed for $196 and uses less power. For solar, it means the last price you heard is probably high by at least 10%. The remote geography of wind and l
Commentary on architectural practice and somewhat related topics